A Slice of Cake With... Mike Van Horn

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Mike Van Horn.

Mike started writing science fiction stories in 1987, but they were always back-burnered to his “day job.” For thirty years, Mike advised small business owners how to grow their businesses without driving themselves crazy. During this time, he published over twenty business books and workbooks. Then Mike realised that if he was ever going to complete his sci-fi stories in this lifetime, he’d better get his rear in gear!

Mike and his wife live in Marin County north of San Francisco in a house surrounded by trees and vegetable gardens. They have two daughters and three grandkids.

What kind of books do you write?

I write quirky, light-hearted stories about a pop singer who rescues an alien and hijacks its spaceship from the government. These are tales with a strong female protagonist, non-hostile aliens, wry humor, and plausible impossibilities.

“The spaceship crashed on my hillside. It’s on my property, so it’s mine,” she asserts. The government says “No way,” and drags it away to study its advanced technologies. When Selena discovers the spaceship is repairing itself, she has it fly itself into space.

What should she do with a self-repairing spaceship and an AI “magic wand?” Hand them over and get back to singing? Or gallivant into space? What if the alien doesn’t even want to return home? She flees for her life across the galaxy, gets marooned in deep space and is doomed until she’s rescued by very non-human aliens. Here’s a song she sang to herself:

I am unmoored.

I am adrift on the vastness of space.

Like a boat, lines cast free from the shore,

freed of land’s embrace.

Slowly drifting out to sea, 

no rudder, no compass, no map, no haste.

Across the vasty void.

Forever to infinity.

Can you describe your writing why?

Stories just flow from my imagination. It took years for me to start writing them down. I’ve written dozens of non-fiction books for small business. During all those years, my fiction was back-burnered. A few years ago I saw that if I was ever going to get these stories done in this lifetime, I’d better get on it. Since then I’ve written my trilogy and sketched out several other books. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

This is from near the beginning of Book 1, Aliens Crashed in My Back Yard. My heroine, Selena, has just decided to nurse the surviving alien back to health. She stays with her overnight in the crashed spaceship. 

I lay there in the dark talking to her. I asked her questions. Where are you from? Why did you come here? What happened? What was your life like? How old are you? I got no response, of course. Wasn’t sure she was still alive.

I told her my entire life story. I confessed many things that I’d never revealed to anyone else. Including myself. 

How I was strong and self-assured on the outside, but inside? Not so much. How I’d come to the road less traveled, but had stayed on the freeway.

How I had dumped the only guy I’d ever truly loved because of my stupid music career, and all my tours. How I often studied myself in the mirror, standing sideways, wondering if I should bother trying to keep myself slim and in shape, or whether I should let it all go and enjoy my cheeseburgers. How I knew I could never go for Clay, even though I knew he had a big crush on me, and he’d be a damn good catch for an aging chick like me. 

How I’d never even tried to publish the songs that were the most important to me because I didn’t think they were marketable, and instead churned out all these maudlin ballads. Which of course made me a shitload of money, and allowed me to buy my dream property here on the coast, psychically as far as possible from La La Land. But which left me with this empty hole here near the core of my being.

I began to hum this one melody I’d written years before, and had never performed in public. It was my internal anthem—the music for my secret self. 

My alien companion, lying in the dark covered by a horse blanket, in a tiny, squeaky voice, hummed along with me. 

Tell us about your latest project

My WIP is Alien Invasion: There Goes the Neighborhood. Book 4 in the trilogy.

“Day 1 of the alien invasion. Is Earth ready for the onslaught? In cities across the world, first contact crews are ready with fingers poised above their instruments—cash registers.” 

What if the aliens are not hostile, but tourists and traders? Why would they come to Earth? What would they want from us? What would they buy? What would we want from them? Would we catch terrible diseases from them? They’re not out to conquer us—that’s the last thing they want. Even so, they could be very disruptive to our world. 

I like this story. Here’s why:

- The subject. Writing against an overused trope of hostile alien invasions

- My alien, who communicates by singing, and looks like a bird

- Continuing my characters from the three earlier books in the series

- Light-hearted, wry humor, kick-ass heroine

Here’s the opening:

“I was sitting on my deck on a beautiful warm evening, just strumming Gibb and watching the Moon and stars out over the Pacific Ocean, when a call came in from across the cosmos.”

Not published yet, so I don’t have a link, but if you let me know on my website, I’ll tell you when it’s available.

What is your favourite cake?

Devil’s food chocolate with dark chocolate frosting. With a scoop of ice cream. Numm numm!

You can connect with Mike here:

Author site: galaxytalltales.com

Facebook: #mikevanhorn

Amazon author page 

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Jim Webster. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

A Slice of Cake With... M.W. Duncan

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with M.W. Duncan.

M.W. Duncan lives in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He has written The Carrion Virus Series - Carrion City. The Athena Protocol and The End Tide. Upon its release, Carrion City became an Amazon Bestseller in the Horror and Post-Apocalyptic categories. The fourth and final book in the Carrion Virus Series, This War Will Last Forever, was released in July 2021 by Britain’s Next Bestseller.

He is currently writing the Esworth Equipoise series which saw Down From the Sky released by Severed Press in May 2021.

Independently, he has written and published Only The Dead: An African War. The first of three novellas which he intends to go back and finish one day.

Outside of writing he works in local government but dedicates his free time to making writing his full-time career. He has a passion for music, reading and gaming.

He has two cats, Horus and Nina.

What kind of books do you write?

I’ve been writing since I was quite young. I still have my first story ever written, typed out on a typewriter and illustrated by me. I guess I only really considered trying to make writing something more than a hobby in about 2012. I had some time on my hands and decided to try and write a full-length novel. I feel like I have all these stories and characters in my head and if I didn’t get them down onto paper, I would regret it. 

In 2014 I signed a publishing contract with Severed Press for several books so that has kept me motivated. 

I don’t particularly like working a 9-5, well 8:30 to 5 really. My ambition now is to try and make writing successful enough that I can perhaps work a traditional job part-time with my writing making up some of my income. I’m realistic though, it’s not my main driving force to make lots of money from writing. I’ll be happy to just tell my tales and get my books out there. 

Can you describe your writing why?

I’ve been writing since I was quite young. I still have my first story ever written, typed out on a typewriter and illustrated by me. I guess I only really considered trying to make writing something more than a hobby in about 2012. I had some time on my hands and decided to try and write a full-length novel. I feel like I have all these stories and characters in my head and if I didn’t get them down onto paper, I would regret it. 

In 2014 I signed a publishing contract with Severed Press for several books so that has kept me motivated. 

I don’t particularly like working a 9-5, well 8:30 to 5 really. My ambition now is to try and make writing successful enough that I can perhaps work a traditional job part-time with my writing making up some of my income. I’m realistic though, it’s not my main driving force to make lots of money from writing. I’ll be happy to just tell my tales and get my books out there. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

This is the beginning of my novella – Only The Dead: An African War. It was my first foray into the publishing world back in 2013. It holds a special place in my heart.

The heat created a dancing mirage on the road before me, a twisting of my vision, there for a moment before disappearing. I wiped at the sweat on my brow, and swatted insects away. It was a fact of Africa. It was a fact of Liberia. There were flies, and worse. Twice since arriving in Zorzor, I’d seen scorpions scuttling through the town, once even over my boots. Small, delicate almost, but with deadly stingers.

I stepped off the porch of the manor house, a building that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a turn-of-the-century plantation in southern states of America. It was the grandest structure in Zorzor, made of a reddish brick and wood. The once-white paint now clung scantily, peeling, reducing the building to a poor mockery of what it once must have looked like. Most of the buildings were crude huts with corrugated iron coverings for roofs. I slung my AK-47 over my shoulder and stepped out onto the dirt road. Shell casings were thick on the ground. They crunched and clinked underfoot like pebbles on the beach.

Dropped in the middle of the jungle, this island of calm was restive compared to many regions of Liberia. Zorzor was still, stagnant, and full of soldiers, only no battle was being fought. At least, not yet. I was with LURD rebels, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, fighting the corrupt government of President Charles Taylor. Described by many as the worst tyrant West Africa had seen, he clung to power and a fictional legitimacy. His forces controlled less than half the country.

Tell us about your latest project

I dipped my toe into sci-fi this year and released Down From The Sky through Severed Press. I’m currently editing the sequel – The Plenipotentiary. The series revolved around the planet of Esworth. The Terran Cooperative have set up a colony on the planet, building humanity’s first city outside of our solar system – Uriah’s Hope, but the rapid progress has awoken a new enemy which will threaten the whole of humanity.

Once the editing is done, I’ve got a couple of other books I wrote over the last year, a standalone sci-fi – The 457 Incident and a zombie novel – What Comes After. They both need a second edit from me before I start sending out enquiries for them.

What is your favourite cake?

Do rock cakes count? My granny used to make the best rock cakes, especially good when they were fresh out of the oven with a light dusting of sugar. If rock cakes don’t count, I’m a sucker for a Victoria Sponge. 

You can connect with M.W. Duncan here:

Instagram – mwduncanwriter
Twitter - @MarkWDuncan
Facebook - @mwduncanwriter 

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Mike Van Horn. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Barbara Nadel

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Barbara Nadel.

Trained as an actress, Barbara used to work in mental health services. Born in the East End of London, she now writes full time and has been a visitor to Turkey for over twenty years. She received the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger for her novel Deadly Web, and the Swedish Flintax Prize for historical crime fiction for her first Francis Hancock novel, Last Rights. 

What kind of books do you write?

I write two series of books, both contain accounts of unlawful killings. My first series is set in Istanbul Turkey and revolves around the lives and cases of two police officers called Cetin Ikmen and Mehmet Suleyman. Together they investigate frequently complicated cases in the megacity on the Bosphorus, many of which highlight Istanbul's rich historical past and enormous diversity. My second series is set in the London Borough of Newham and concerns the activities of a pair of private detectives called Lee Arnold and Mumtaz Hakim. Again diversity and history sometimes come into play as well as the very modern problems surrounding life in a city that has become very much more fiscally divided in recent years. However, for both my 'teams' the main thing they have to face is the reality of death - that of other people as well as the possibility of their own.

Can you describe your writing why?

The reasons why anyone writes are many and complex. I've always wanted to find out about things, I'm nosey! In addition, growing up amongst people who were mentally ill, I think that right from a very young age, I wanted answers. Why were my relatives not like other people? Why were they ill so often and what did that mean? I think in part that was the reason I studied psychology at university and then went on to work with mentally ill people in hospitals and the community. I think the 'why' of my writing is an extension of that. Crime and the psychology of crime are areas of study that raise as many questions as they answer. I am fascinated by how one person can take another one's life and what effect that may have upon those investigating those incidents. The dark side of the human condition.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

A favourite passage is hard to select. But I have chosen this one from the beginning of a Turkish Cetin Ikmen book I wrote in 2015 called Land of the Blind.

The thought had insinuated itself into his head almost before he'd noticed. Sin could be so easily fallen into. And he had just plummeted. Now he began to cry. There was fear. Doubt was a terrible sin and to sin meant that when death came he would not walk in the gardens of Paradise. He begged and begged for forgiveness, his voice slicing the silence, the power of his words causing the candle flame to gutter and twist. Afraid he'd blow it out by accident, he stopped. The flame became stable again and he prayed in his head.

God was listening and He did care. All his life he'd done exactly what those more educated in the words of the Koran had told him. Not one request had ever been denied. Bar that moment of doubt, his soul was pure. His mind said, And your body?

A noise came out of his mouth. Like a squeal. Then he began to shake. 'Oh God,' he said. 'Oh God!'

Hearing his own voice tremble was not a comfortable thing. He begged. 'Please, please help me. I'll never do it again. Never.'

And he waited and he waited. But no help came. He wanted and didn't want water and the candle flame guttered again in time to his sobs. Still no relief came, no rest from the reality that he had been buried alive. Which he had been.

Tell us about your latest project

My latest book, which is the 23rd in the Turkish Ikmen and Suleyman series is called Forfeit.

Investigating the death of a popular reality TV star, Ikmen and Suleyman find themselves drawn in to the world of Istanbul's Syrian refugee population. Struggling to make their mark in a culture not their own, some of the refugees have been forced into criminal activities and the man found dead with the TV star was a Syrian with a dubious past. While Suleyman attempts to juggle his complicated romantic life between his girlfriend, Ikmen's daughter Cicek, and his gypsy mistress Gonca, he and Ikmen explore the magical world of the middle eastern oral storytellers. Do they in fact still exist or are they entirely mythical?

What is your favourite cake?

My favourite cake. Now there's a question and a really hard one! I basically love all cake! But I think that probably my favourite is a rose-flavoured Turkish cake called Gullac. Made from layers of cornstarch pastry infused with rosewater and stuffed with walnuts. It's sweet, sticky and utterly delicious. Traditionally it's eaten as part of the iftar meal which breaks the Ramazan fast every evening, but I try to get hold of it as often as possible.

You can connect with Barbara on Twitter @BarbaraNadel

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Mark Duncan. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Veronica Scott

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Veronica Scott. 

Veronica grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.

Seven-time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job, not her romances! She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s The City On the Edge of Forever.

What kind of books do you write?

Action, adventure and romance are the keys to all my books, whether the plot is set in ancient Egypt of 1550 BCE for a paranormal tale or in the far future, out in the galaxy for science fiction romance. The women are strong and confident and the men are sexy Special Forces soldiers, no matter what era I’m writing. (Yes, my Egyptian Pharaoh has a tough military unit known as ‘Pharaoh’s Own’ who are the special forces of their day.)

Can you describe your writing why?

I love telling my stories and sharing them with readers. I’m a voracious reader of all kinds of books and I started writing my own when I couldn’t find enough in the genres I’m most drawn to. Writing is my chance to be “in the flow” and shut out the real world while finding adventure and romance.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

Hard to pick a favorite book, as I’m sure most of your author guests would agree! But here’s a snippet from Colony On Fire. The planet’s only doctor arrives at a remote town for a clinic visit, during forest fire weather:

There was a knock on the cockpit door and Roann the nurse stuck her head in. “Hey, you guys, sorry to interrupt and all but there’s kind of a brass band waiting outside.”

“What?” Saffia straightened in shock and Micah stepped out of the way as she surged to her feet. Activating the outer vids she saw her nurse wasn’t kidding. A group was waiting on the edge of the landing pad and there did indeed seem to be a small band.

“Told you.” Micah was gracious enough in victory not to laugh as he stood aside for her to pass on the way out into the main cabin. “Face it, you’re a big deal, doc.”

Normally she wasn’t vain about her appearance but Saffia wished she could take a moment to at least fix her hair a bit but she’d already kept the good people of Northern Station waiting long enough. Mortified, she triggered the portal and Gretchen’s ramp slid out as the panel moved efficiently aside. There was a cheer as she stepped onto the ground and the band struck up a slightly wavering rendition of a fanfare. With annoyance she was aware of Micah stifling his amusement behind her, whether he was taking delight in being right about the scale of her welcome or the dubious musicality of the band she had no idea. 

Roann came behind him. “Whoa, the town is sure pulling out all the stops for us, doctor.”

There was now a banner waving with “WELCOME DR. MANDELL and STAFF” emblazoned on it.

Tell us about your latest project

I’m working on the next book in my award-winning Badari Warrior series, about genetically engineered soldiers of the far future. The Badari were created by alien enemies to fight humans. But then the scientists kidnapped an entire human colony from the Sectors to use as subjects in twisted experiments…the Badari and the humans made common cause, rebelled and escaped the labs. Now they live side by side in a sanctuary valley protected by a powerful Artificial Intelligence, and wage unceasing war on the aliens. Some overarching issues do remain unresolved in each book since this is an ongoing series but romance always wins the day in my novels! The most recent release was Holiday For The Alpha. A reader who enjoys Laurann Dohner’s New Species or Lora Leigh’s Breeds will enjoy this series. Sexy supersoldiers, enhanced with alien predator DNA and their human fated mates!

What is your favourite cake?

Tuxedo Layer Cake from Kroger’s Bakery – chocolate with layers of tiramisu and marshmallow cream and a rich chocolate fudge frosting.

You can connect with Veronica here:

Blog: https://veronicascott.wordpress.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/vscotttheauthor

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Scott/177217415659637?ref=hl

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronica_scott_author/

Tiktok: @veronicascottauthor

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Barbara Nadel. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

Tuesday Poem - Sea Witch Shanty

There once was an evil witch o’ sea
Who would gladly try to capture thee
When the winds whipped up and the boat sank low
She’ll stretch her hand and strike her blow

Beware when you sail on the seas so brave
Or you’ll end up in her evil cave
Pay your tribute and pay it quick
Or you’ll be drowning in the drink

This witch o’ the sea she speaks to the dead
Never satisfied she wants your head
Collecting souls, she’s black to the core
A necromancer always after more

Beware when you sail on the seas so brave
Or you’ll end up in her evil cave
Pay your tribute and pay it quick
Or you’ll be drowning in the drink

The sea witch she did lose her lover
Never will she ever find another
She whip up a storm in the blink of an eye
And we’ll never hear your dying cry

Beware when you sail on the seas so brave
Or you’ll end up in her evil cave
Pay your tribute and pay it quick
Or you’ll be drowning in the drink

With blackened eyes and scales of green
It’s a sight you wished you’d never seen
Her smile is lined with razor like teeth
She’ll dig in her claws and sink you deep

Beware when you sail on the seas so brave
Or you’ll end up in her evil cave
Pay your tribute and pay it quick
Or you’ll be drowning in the drink

This witch rules the sea with an iron fist
And always demands sacrifice as gift
It cannot be paid with jewels or gold
Give her souls before their body grows cold

Beware when you sail on the seas so brave
Or you’ll end up in her evil cave
Pay your tribute and pay it quick
Or you’ll be drowning in the drink

Shanty taken from The Bone Thief, out November 12th, 2021. Pre-order your copy here.

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

Upcoming Events

I've got some very exciting events coming up so I thought I'd share them with you so you can get your FREE tickets.

ReadFest: The Writing Journey - A Conversation with Claire Buss, Howard Linskey and Juneha Chowdhury

September 10th, 3.00-4.00pm

Pen to Print’s Write On! Magazine team partners with authors, editors and agents to present eight workshops, over two days, during ReadFest this year.

Write On!’s Deputy Editor and indie author, Claire Buss discusses ‘The Journey of a Writer’ with a successful traditionally published author, Howard Linskey and unpublished writer Juneha Chowdhury.

Claire is the Deputy Editor of Write On! Magazine and continues to welcome features, opinions and essays from the writing community.

Howard is the author series of books set in the northeast of England. He was first published in a football fanzine, later becoming a journalist and now a full-time author.

Juneha is a long-standing Write On! team member and regular contributor. She is also the 2018 Book Challenge winner.

Get your FREE tickets here.

Self-Publishing For Beginners - a 6-week course

23rd September, 30th September, 7th October, 14th October, 21st October, 28th October

6.00-8.00pm

Week 1: Getting your book ready part 1

You’ve written your novel, short story or collection of poems and now you want to publish it but how do you go about getting your words on paper into a professional-looking published book? In the first of six sessions, self-published author Claire Buss will show you how to prepare your book for market and look at your genre and/or niche, your brand, cover design and the editing process your book needs to go through.

Week 2: Getting your book ready part 2

Your book has been edited, the cover designed and you know your genre – what’s next? In the second of six sessions, self-published author Claire Buss will explain how to correctly format your book for both paperback and ebook publication as well as how to write front and back matter including the all-important book blurb. 

Week 3: Publish with KDP (Amazon)

There are two options for self-publishing – go through Amazon and go wide. In the third of six sessions, self-published author Claire Buss will take you step by step through uploading your book through KDP, Amazon’s free publishing platform, in both paperback and ebook format. 

Week 4: Go Wide!

Do want to see your book in Waterstones? Would you like to create special edition hardbacks or ensure your book is available in wider ebook markets in foreign countries? Perhaps you’d like libraries to be able to order your book. In the fourth of six sessions, self-publishing author Claire Buss will explain how you can ‘go wide’ and get your book in as many marketplaces as possible. 

Week 5: Marketing 

Now that you’ve published your book you want people to find out about it and generate some sales but without the powerhouse of a traditional publisher behind you, how can you do that? In the fifth of six sessions, self-publishing author Claire Buss will provide an overview on author marketing – how to build your author platform, grow your social media presence, establish a newsletter and get reviews for your book.

Week 6: Royalties and Rights

Self-publishing can be a minefield if you do not understand your rights as an author or how the different royalty systems work. In the last of six sessions, self-publishing author Claire Buss will take you through your author rights including foreign rights, screen adaptions and audiobook options as well as explaining how royalties work and what to expect. There will also be an in-depth Q&A session about self-publishing to make sure you are ready to publish your book. 

Book your FREE place here.

Also coming up in the future are a Fantasy workshop with me as part of Pen to Print's Fantasy Month and my next Book Surgery which will look at advertising your book. Keep your eyes peeled on the Pen to Print Events page for lots more free goodies. See you there!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

A Slice of Cake With... Eric Thomson

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Eric Thomson.

Eric Thomson is the pen name of a retired Canadian soldier who spent more time in uniform than he expected, both in the Regular Army and the Army Reserve. He spent his Regular Army career in the Infantry and his Reserve service in the Armoured Corps. He worked as an information technology specialist for several years before retiring to become a full-time author.

Eric has been a voracious reader of science fiction, military fiction, and history all his life. Several years ago, he put fingers to the keyboard and started writing his own military sci-fi, with a definite space opera slant, using many of his own experiences as a soldier for inspiration. 

When he is not writing fiction, Eric indulges in his other passions: photography, hiking, and scuba diving, all of which he shares with his wife.

What kind of books do you write?

My books all take place in the same universe at a time when humanity has spread across the stars thanks to the invention of faster-than-light travel. Unfortunately, our descendants are still scheming, politicking, and quarrelling with each other, just like their ancestors and stop only to fight off non-human adversaries. My protagonists are all dedicated to preserving and, if need be, rebuilding human civilization across the stars in the knowledge we are our worst enemies.

Can you describe your writing why?

I wanted to become a writer when I was in my twenties and disenchanted with my career prospects, but back then, ebooks didn’t exist and self-publishing was known as vanity publishing. Fast-forward twenty years and I discovered KDP. As a lark, I published my two best novels, written two decades earlier and actually made sales right off the bat. It brought back my old dreams of exiting the corporate rat race (by then I was an IT executive) and becoming a full-time writer so I could finally find the motivation to put decades of story ideas on paper and create my own future universe. I retired eighteen months later and can’t see myself do anything else with my life but writing and publishing. In other words, I’m living my dream every day.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

You know, after 22 novels, it gets kind of blurry. I can’t really point at a favourite. All have been equally enjoyable and painful to write. I suppose the ones that do stick with me the most are the emotional scenes, which, in military sci-fi are rather rare. One of the best I’ve written, at least insofar as it can still bring tears to my eyes, is the last chapter of When the Guns Roar which is a farewell scene. It’s rather lengthy, so I won’t reproduce it here, and you can’t really get the full impact unless you’ve not only read the book but also the five previous ones in the series and are invested in the main character. Most of my books have at least one scene that tugs at the emotions, especially those of military veterans who can relate.

Tell us about your latest project

I’m working on the third instalment in my Ghost Squadron series at the moment, for a late September publication date. It’s titled Die Like the Rest. The series is a saga covering the transformation of humanity’s democratic (and highly flawed) interstellar Commonwealth into an empire as seen through the eyes of Special Forces operators fighting the little wars of peace that spur on this transformation. Ghost Squadron is the linkage — chronologically — between my earlier ones and another series that covers the end of that empire a thousand years later.

What is your favourite cake?

Cherry cheesecake.

You can connect with Eric at his website: https://www.thomsonfiction.ca/

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Veronica Scott. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.